NO ROOM FOR FAMILIES

MIKE REYNOLDS

Viewing habits clash with calls for friendly shows on cable. It's 8 p.m. on a Monday night. In his room, an 8-year-old boy catches up with the latest adventures of Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys. In the kitchen, a mother and daughter click on The WB for 7th Heaven as they make brownies. Meanwhile, a father settles in with ESPN's coverage of college hoops in the basement.

You can change the channels and the rooms, but the above scenario is a common occurrence circa 2001: a family watching television.

Gone are the days when families huddled en masse in front of the tube in the living room, awaiting the likes of Eight is Enough, Little House on the Prairie or one of the Big Three network's presentation of a theatrical.

"No, I don't think there's a lot of family viewing going on," says Bob Gessner, president of Massillon Cable TV, a 50,000-subscriber system in northeast Ohio. "People aren't saying, `Oh boy, Swiss Family Robinson is on at 8 p.m.' Kids are doing their homework or sitting down with the computer. They're being run to soccer practice or studying with friends. Parents are coming home from work or rushing from food shopping. People are busy."

The coalescence of time-harried lives, various viewing/entertainment options and multiple TVs - with 57% of teenagers having their own set - makes the notion of familial co-viewing as antiquated as The Ed Sullivan Show.

Yet the media, parental groups and cable operators alike are more vocal than ever about the need for family programming, or, at least, shows presenting family values.

"There's not much left on broadcast," says June Perdue, VP-programming at Buford Media. "Looking at the sweeps this month, I don't see much that can be construed as family fare. The 8 p.m. family hour is ancient history as far as the major broadcasters are concerned. PAX and UPN have some family shows. Odyssey and Fox Family are addressing that audience in different ways. We need to offer more of something parents and kids can watch together. Certain values need to be expressed."

"Family services are very valuable to our members," says Matt Polka, president of the American Cable Association.

"They are smaller systems in more rural areas, where people may hold more traditional values," he says. "This is something everybody with kids wants for their families. You would think these kind of services would have a great, broad appeal."

The comments from cable executives come at a time when the TV industry is increasingly under fire.

MTV has been assailed for its stunt series, Jackass. In late January, a 13-year-old boy suffered severe burns when his friends lit him on a barbecue grill, reenacting a segment from Jackass.

U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D.-Conn., a longtime critic of media violence who is expected to introduce legislation that would give the FTC the authority to bring actions against companies that continue to market violent and adult-rated products to children, has called upon MTV to cancel or reform the show.

Other than offering condolences to the family and reiterating the warning message that precedes each Jackass episode, MTV is keeping the series in its 9 p.m. Sunday timeslot.

The MTV incident comes as a 13-year-old awaits March 2 sentencing on a first-degree murder conviction, emanating from his stomping and kicking of a 6-year-old in moves aping those of professional wrestlers, stars of the most popular regularly scheduled programming on cable.

Meanwhile, a Feb. 6 report from the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation titled "Sex on TV: Content Context," indicates 68% of all shows on broadcast and cable (HBO, Lifetime, TNT and USA) during the 1999-2000 TV season featured or alluded to some type of sexual activity, up from 56% the prior year.

"You can't interfere with networks' First Amendment rights. The question is what are their bottom lines worth?" says Joanne Cantor, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of Mommy, I'm Scared, a book for parents to help children handle violence in the media. "Violence and sex draw attention. Parents aren't around all the time to monitor what their children watch. The networks need to be more responsible. There have to be other ways for the networks to make money."

"I'm troubled by what I see. TV has become much coarser," says Margaret Loesch, president/CEO of Odyssey Network. "It's impossible to anticipate every reaction to what's on TV. Parents need to use good judgment."

While many support the idea of parental vigilance when it comes to what kids are viewing on the small screen (see sidebar on page 22) and a place on the dial for programming with values amid the expanding channel universe, the definition of family programming in today's multichannel universe is in flux.

The traditional family programmers - Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network - make little pretense about their target audiences.

Disney Channel caters to kids, particularly 9- to 14-year-old tweens, through movies.

"Parents take their kids to some movies. It's a chance to be with them, experience something together. But as we all know, there are a lot more theatricals made for adults than children," says Rich Ross, GM at Disney Channel. "Aside from our company, there aren't a lot of studios producing films for kids and families. There might be one or two blockbusters for kids per year, and maybe not 20 other films produced for children or families. A few years back, there was a similar void on TV."

Ross and crew jumped in with a production slate of a dozen original films annually, a gambit that has paid off in the Nielsens.

"What separates us is the tweens audience of 9-14 watching films with adults. We're twice as high here than any other network," he says.

Last year, 37% of the viewers for Disney Channel's original movies were tweens, while adults comprised 32% of the audience. With encores, DC had dibs on 23 of the top 25 basic cable movies with the tween set last year.

Nickelodeon's creed also centers on children.

"We're kids first and family friendly," states Nickelodeon EVP/GM Cyma Zarghami. "We look for shows with kids' story lines and kids as the central characters. We tell relevant stories about how kids live their lives. Kids live through three different spheres: school, peers and home. Kids may say different things at school or with their friends, but family is very important to them. They often regard their parents as heroes and value their family time."

Zarghami says that's reflected in Nick's on-air familial composition.

"Allen Strange lives in a single-parent household. Hey Arnold lives with his grandparents and has no parents," she says. "There are also Hispanic and diversity shows. Our on-air efforts to kids 2-11 reflects different family situations."

While Cartoon Network is deemed by some as a family network, Dea Perez, the net's VP-programming, rejoins: "The term `family programming' implies a lot of different things, notably that families will sit and watch together. We're not developing shows with families in mind, per se. We're developing shows we hope will have appeal to a 5-year-old, a 10-year-old and a 35-year-old. At Cartoon, we're looking to make a form of good TV that might appeal to different members of the family."

Fox Family and Odyssey, networks that espouse family programming virtues, have different takes and strategies.

After a series of fits and starts since converting the former Family Channel in August 1998, Fox Family has adopted a programming strategy that president Maureen Smith defines as "kids by day, adults by night, family-friendly with contemporary sensibilities."

Although Fox Family's primetime household numbers eroded in its transition from the older fare favored by Family Channel viewers, its kids' numbers went up significantly. Smith says airing evening series and films aimed at children with the idea that parents would watch too did little to dispel the perception that Fox Family was becoming a putative kids network.

All that changed last August, when Fox Family embarked in a new direction. Buoyed by a new on-air look, publicity, promotion and such off-network acquisitions as Providence, Freaks & Geeks, 7th Heaven and Early Edition, the channel began reacquainting itself with adult watchers.

"Our demo numbers and focus group information indicate we are succeeding in conveying the message that Fox Family is now a nighttime destination for adults," says Smith. "Kids are welcome to sit down with their parents, but we are after adults in the evening."

She says Fox Family's sights are now fixed on the 18-34 and 18-49 demos.

"Our key subset demo is 25-34," she says. "That's a group with a lot of young parents, so kids may be watching with their parents to some degree. The old regime placed a lot more emphasis on co-viewing. We still want to get everybody - just maybe during different dayparts."

Acquired series fare aside, Smith says Fox Family will build its primetime base with new attractions, such as Major League Baseball. As part of Fox Sports' six-year, $2.6 billion dollar deal signed with MLB in September, the network will feature 26 regular season editions of Fox Family Thursday Night Baseball beginning April 5.

"Baseball will bring new viewers to the networks," says Smith, noting that Fox Family and Fox Sports Net are planning to give the telecasts a "family feel on-air and in the park."

Fox Family hopes the move will increase sampling for such new programming as reality series Scariest Places on Earth, spawned from five specials that ran as part of the network's annual "13 Days of Halloween" event last fall. Following a special five-night preview the week of March 26, Scariest Places will settle into its regular time slot, Fridays at 9 p.m., April 6.

Other original programming on tap includes magic specials on Saturday nights and romantic comedies such as Until Dad Does Us Part, a film bowing on Father's Day starring John Laroquette as an over-protective father of the bride. Smith says Fox Family has high hopes for this genre.

At Odyssey, family may take on different forms, but its aim remains true.

"Today, family can mean a married couple, with or without kids, two people co-habitating or the elderly living together," says Loesch. "There isn't a nuclear family anymore. Our principle target is adults, with quality programming that is appropriate and interesting for children to watch, as well."

Before the ownership changes announced in November 1998 that began translating on-air in April 1999, 62% of Odyssey's primetime viewers were 55 or older. Loesch says Odyssey's game plan was to lower its average age. "Previously, Odyssey's primary viewers were females, 55+. Now, our adults 18-49 and 25-54 are up," she explains. "It's been our goal to attract adults and have kids come along."

By the end of 2000, its 25-54 target audience had jumped to 46% from 31% in 1999. Fourth-quarter ratings in 2000 doubled from the previous year in total day to a 0.2, while primetime improved 50% to a 0.3 average.

In addition to being able to draw on the libraries of two of its owners, Hallmark and The Jim Henson Co., Odyssey is looking to expand its viewer base beyond its 28 million homes with original fare. Its first original film, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, notched a 1.0 household rating. In the months ahead, Odyssey will bow its first original mini-series The Voyage of The Unicorn, produced exclusively for the network by Hallmark Entertainment, on March 2-3. It will follow with Sign of Four, the second of its Sherlock Holmes movies, March 23. The Hound of the Baskervilles, premiering last October, generated a 0.9. The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells, a two-hour movie franchise based on the sci-fi author's stories, is set to premiere this summer.

Loesch is also excited about other Odyssey projects in the hopper.

"We're working on a few deals that we hope will come to fruition in the way of miniseries for late summer and fall," she says. "This is an event strategy targeting adults with kids' appeal."

Referring to Hallmark's Moby Dick, the 1998 miniseries that rang up leviathan ratings for USA, Loesch avers that co-viewing increases with event programming: "Events do bring kids and parents together. Parents make dates with their kids to watch TV like that."

She adds high-quality mini-series and other programming will help differentiate Odyssey from competitors.

"We're trying to distinguish ourselves. We're in between a lot of networks. We compete with Fox Family for advertising. From an audience perspective, we compete with A&E and Lifetime, to a lesser degree, because we skew more toward women," she says. "We're broader and older than Fox Family but not as old as PAX."

For its part, FamilyNet is a proponent of old-time values. President David Clark, a veteran of Family Channel under Pat Robertson, says FamilyNet is similar in many respects to his former employer. The network reaches 37 million TV households via full- and part-time carriage on full- and low-power television stations and cable systems (2 million full-time cable homes).

"Our programming is kid-proof," he says. "It's value-added entertainment with inspirational themes that focus on how people can pursue charitable lives with integrity and humanity. Our programming is safe when parents are not in the room."

The network offers acquired films and series such as The Black Beauty, as well as 50 hours of values-based originals, such as The Call: At Home Live with Chuck and Jenni, each week.

Clark, who says he is talking to other large MSOs, says FamilyNet recently inked a carriage deal with Adelphia for rollout on its digital tiers. Adelphia did not return phone calls by presstime.

Buford's Perdue says she is aware of FamilyNet. Asked if the MSO is considering adding FamilyNet as part of a family tier for digital offerings, she says: "To increase digital penetration, you need to offer a combination of networks with something for everybody. You need a variety of niches."

"Space is constrained on classic systems, and while that has opened up with digital to some extent, it's tough to get a general entertainment network with a family orientation because operators are looking to package a number of diverse, niche networks to promote digital services," echoes ACA's Polka. "The channels are so specific these days. That Fox Family and Odyssey are the only established networks really going in this direction may be indicative of how tough it is for these kind of services."

Still, in a nation of dual income households fostering generations of latchkey kids and people continually on the run, surely there must be opportunities for more programming that is safe for children and appealing to adult members of the household.

Like it or not, most channels recognize they must keep these concerns in mind as they acquire or develop shows.

With the recent Jackass copycat incident, the debate rages on as to how much responsibility networks must take in programming for that most impressionable of audiences: kids.

"First and foremost, our main job is to entertain. But we're also trying to take responsibility for parents who allow their kids to watch television without ever taking the time to screen the programs," says one network executive who requested anonymity. "Frankly, it's not something we feel totally comfortable with, but that's a reality we must contend with. How could the parents of a 14-year-old not know their child had been watching something like [Jackass]? You would think people would know that you don't try things like that at home, but ..."

"Any kid could do anything, and any show can have moments of danger," says Disney Channel's Ross. "What you have to stay away from is extreme behavior and situations that are repetitive. Repetitive behavior is more likely to be imitated. With Jackass, the kid was lit on fire. There was enormous publicity. There are other stunts that could be imitated again."

Loesch says this debate won't end anytime soon.

"It is incumbent upon parents to watch what their kids watch," she states. "Taking shows off TV is not the easy answer. Who decides what should come off? It's a very tricky situation."

It's also a situation that won't get any easier as children continue to be home alone and mature more quickly, thanks to TV, Internet and other entertainment forms. The question for cablers is how big a role to take in helping create more informed viewers.

With media and parental watchdog groups raising their voices about increasingly violent and sexual material airing on TV, Fox Family Channel will augment the industry's ratings system and V-chip program-screening device with new on-air advisories.

Beginning March 1, Fox Family will lead into its primetime shows with new content advisories. The network has developed more than 30 content advisories for its programming, including a recommendation for children 8 and younger.

"Our programming occasionally deals with topics more appropriate for older kids, and these advisories help parents make an educated decision," says Fox Family president Maureen Smith.

Joanne Cantor, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of Mommy, I'm Scared, a book on kids and violence in the media, says the V-chip and rating system have been largely ineffectual.

"Parents aren't aware that new TV sets have V-chip technology, and there hasn't been nearly enough done to promote uniform application of the TV ratings system," says Cantor.

Her views are backed up by a recent study by The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Only 50% of parents surveyed were aware that programs are rated.

Ratings aside, kids programmers say they go to great lengths to ensure their shows are appropriate for young viewers.

There have been some tough calls over the years.

"In the first Rugrats movie, we showed Tommy's bottom. It was determined it was OK to have rear nudity because he was a baby," explains Nickelodeon EVP/GM Cyma Zarghami.

Disney Channel is also very concerned about balancing responsibility and delivering engaging programming to its tween targets.

"As a Walt Disney company, we're expected to live up to certain things. At the same time, we have to be relevant to 2001," says Disney Channel GM Rich Ross.

To that end, Ross points to plot points involving bulimia in The Famous Jett Jackson series and huffing in the film In a Heart Beat.

Criticized in some quarters for airing Japanese anime programming during its "Toonami" block, Cartoon Network VP-programming Dea Perez disagrees the fare is too violent.

Perez adds that Cartoon Network maintains very stringent standards in its editing processes, scrutinizing for violence, sexual innuendo and stereotyping.

"We reject a lot of shows," she says.

The premium services are putting a premium on family programming.

Looking to offer greater value to existing customers and to win new ones, premium purveyors Starz Encore, Showtime and HBO are focusing more attention and resources toward family-oriented networks these days.

Showtime FamilyZone will bow in March with such G and PG titles as Air Bud: Golden Receiver and The Rugrats Movie. The digiplex will show select PG-13 titles such as Stepson, At First Sight and The Mask of Zorro.

Moreover, the service will tap into the burgeoning vault of Showtime Original Pictures For All Ages.

Wam!, one of the plexes on Starz Encore Super Pak, has a more narrow bent, targeting one of the hottest demos in TV today: tweens.

"Our overall audience is 8-16, but we're really hitting with the middle ground kids 12-14. There are about 35 million tweens - the kids who are outgrowing Nickelodeon and too young for MTV," says VP-programming Midge Pierce. "We're providing programming focusing on real kids doing real things. There is peer mentoring to help kids navigate those turbulent years when there is a lot of pushing and pulling between friends, family, independence and increasing responsibility."

Now in 7 million homes (8 million on Sundays when Starz Encore opens up the movieplex), Wam!, according to Pierce, has upped the original programming ante over the last half year. Wam! has introduced such fresh series fare as the reality-based, Caught in the Middle, which tracks seven high school students; the second season of the acclaimed sci-fi skein The Tribe; and Pit Pony, a drama about a 12-year-old who supports his family by working in a coal mine.

The network has also significantly added to its weekend movie roster (Wam! is film-free during the week).

HBO Family will soon put more emphasis on tackling tweens. A company spokesman says that the multiplex network will revamp its lineup in six months.